MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Russia could potentially increase its trade turnover with African countries 1.5-2 times by 2030, Director of the Department for Bipartite Cooperation Development at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development Pavel Kalmychek said.

"In 2001, we started with a trade turnover of $1.5 bln, and by the end of last year, we reached $27 bln. Overall, we see a clear trend that Russia is returning to Africa. We believe that by 2030, we can increase trade volumes 1.5 to 2 times. These are the goals we have set for ourselves," Kalmychek said.

According to him, Russia is currently a major supplier of food products and energy resources to the African market. However, the potential for cooperation extends far beyond that.

He noted that Russia possesses strong expertise in areas such as food and energy security, tax administration, and digitalization - sectors that are critically important for Africa today.

Kalmychek also emphasized that, in addition to the supply of goods, cooperation in digital solutions remains an important area, including tax administration and the exchange of best practices in digital services.